How To Be Happy | Buddhism In English
Summary
TLDRThis video explores the universal quest for happiness, emphasizing that true contentment is not found in material possessions but within the purity of one's mind. Drawing from Buddhist teachings, the speaker suggests that happiness is a long-lasting state achieved through practices like fasting, accepting life's realities, generosity without expectations, and forgiveness. The ultimate happiness, Nirvana, is described as the state of enlightenment, free from desire, anger, and delusion, attainable through wholesome actions and a clear mind.
Takeaways
- 😀 All living beings seek happiness as a common goal in life.
- 🔍 We are on a never-ending journey to find happiness, often without success.
- 🌏 Buddha teaches that the search for happiness is often misguided, as it is sought from external and materialistic sources.
- 💭 Happiness is distinguished from temporary pleasure, which provides instant gratification but lacks long-lasting contentment.
- 📚 The Dhammapada suggests that happiness and suffering are directly linked to the purity or impurity of one's mind.
- 🧘 Mindfulness and mental purity are key to finding true happiness, according to Buddhist teachings.
- 🕉 Fasting and accepting the reality of life's ups and downs can lead to happiness.
- 🤝 Practicing generosity, or 'Dana' in Buddhism, involves giving without expecting anything in return, which can foster happiness.
- 💔 Forgiveness, both of oneself and others, is crucial for creating happiness and freeing the heart from the burden of past mistakes.
- 🌟 The ultimate happiness, or 'Nirvana', is achieved through enlightenment, which involves the removal of desire, anger, and delusion.
- 🌱 Engaging in wholesome practices and cultivating a good state of mind can lead to a happier life.
Q & A
What is the common pursuit of all living beings according to the video script?
-The common pursuit of all living beings is happiness. Everyone seeks to be happy and is on a never-ending journey to find it.
Why do we not find happiness despite our constant pursuit, as mentioned in the script?
-The script suggests that we do not find happiness because we are seeking it from external sources and materialistic things, which only provide temporary pleasure, not the long-lasting contentment that true happiness brings.
What does Buddha teach about the source of happiness according to the video?
-Buddha teaches that we are seeking happiness from a source where it does not exist, implying that happiness is not found in materialistic possessions or external circumstances.
What is the difference between pleasure and happiness as explained in the script?
-Pleasure is described as temporary and providing instant gratification, whereas happiness is long-lasting and brings contentment about oneself.
What does the Dhammapada suggest about the relationship between the mind and happiness?
-The Dhammapada suggests that happiness and suffering follow us based on the purity or impurity of our minds. With a pure mind, happiness will follow us like a shadow.
What are some practices mentioned in the script that can lead to a happier life?
-The script mentions fasting, accepting the reality of life's ups and downs, practicing generosity without expectations, and forgiving oneself and others as practices that can lead to a happier life.
How does the script define the ultimate happiness?
-The ultimate happiness, as defined by the script, is Nirvana or Enlightenment, which is achieved by realizing the reality of life and removing desire, anger, and delusion from the mind.
What is the role of generosity in achieving happiness according to the video?
-Generosity, or 'Dana' in Buddhism, is a major practice where one gives and dedicates towards others without expecting anything in return, which in turn brings long-lasting happiness.
What is the significance of forgiving in creating happiness in life as per the script?
-Forgiving is significant as it frees the heart from holding onto past mistakes, both of oneself and others, allowing for a happier and more peaceful present.
How does the script relate the acceptance of life's reality to happiness?
-Accepting the reality of life's ups and downs helps us to face situations successfully, learn from bad experiences, and not let them make us miserable, which contributes to our overall happiness.
What is the script's advice on how to deal with bad experiences or difficult situations?
-The script advises to focus on the lessons that difficult situations teach us and to learn from them, rather than focusing on the pain, which can help in growing and finding happiness.
Outlines
😀 The Quest for Happiness
This paragraph discusses the universal human pursuit of happiness. It emphasizes that seeking happiness from external, materialistic sources is misguided, as true happiness is long-lasting and comes from within. Buddha's teachings are introduced, suggesting that happiness is not found in material possessions but in the purity of one's mind. The Dhammapada is cited to illustrate that suffering follows an impure mind, while happiness follows a pure one, indicating that happiness is a state of mind that can be cultivated.
🌱 Practices for Cultivating Happiness
The second paragraph focuses on practical steps to achieve happiness as per Buddhist philosophy. It suggests accepting the reality of life's ups and downs, learning from bad experiences rather than dwelling on the pain, and practicing generosity (dana) without expecting anything in return. The act of giving is highlighted as a means to find joy in helping others, which is a source of long-lasting happiness. Additionally, the importance of forgiveness, both for oneself and others, is discussed as a key to freeing the heart and finding inner peace.
🕊 The Ultimate Happiness: Enlightenment
The final paragraph introduces the concept of the ultimate happiness, known as Nirvana or Enlightenment, in Buddhist teachings. It explains that by understanding the true nature of life and letting go of desires and cravings, one can achieve a state of ultimate happiness. This state is described as the removal of desire, anger, and delusion, leading to a profound sense of contentment. The paragraph encourages the practice of wholesome actions and mental states to create happiness in life and ultimately reach the highest level of happiness through enlightenment.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Happiness
💡Pleasure
💡Impure Mind
💡Pure Mind
💡Dharmapada
💡Generosity
💡Accepting Reality
💡Forgiveness
💡Nirvana
💡Wholesale Actions
💡Desire
Highlights
Happiness is a universal pursuit for all living beings.
Buddha's teaching emphasizes that happiness is sought but often not found due to seeking it in the wrong places.
Happiness is not found in external or materialistic things, which only provide temporary pleasure.
Buddha teaches that true happiness comes from within and is long-lasting, unlike temporary pleasure.
The Dhammapada suggests that happiness and suffering follow the purity or impurity of one's mind.
Accepting the reality of life's ups and downs is key to finding happiness.
Learning from bad experiences rather than focusing on the pain leads to personal growth and happiness.
Generosity, or 'Dana' in Buddhism, involves giving without expecting anything in return.
Practicing generosity helps in finding happiness by contributing to others' well-being.
Forgiveness is crucial for creating happiness; it involves letting go of past mistakes and freeing the heart.
Forgiving oneself and others is not about condoning mistakes but about personal liberation.
The ultimate happiness, according to Buddha, is 'Nibbana' or Enlightenment, achieved by removing desire, anger, and delusion.
Nirvana represents the highest level of happiness, a state of enlightenment free from suffering.
Engaging in wholesome practices leads to the creation of happiness in life.
The transcript offers practical advice on how to cultivate happiness through mental and behavioral changes.
The importance of mental purity in achieving lasting happiness is underscored throughout the talk.
Transcripts
number with the higher welcome and
welcome back to another video
if there is one thing in common in this
world that all living beings search for
that is the happiness
we all like to be happy
we all seek happiness in this world
if I ask from you would you like to be
happy in your life
what will be your answer
you will say of course I want to be
happy in my life
I want this peaceful state
I need to be in that
that is your answer that is the answer
of all living beings
Buddha says that all living beings likes
to be happy and they seek the happiness
if you really think about our life we
are in a never-ending journey of
pursuing happiness
let me tell that again we are in a
never-ending journey of pursuing
happiness
that means we are pursuing happiness we
are chasing and we are seeking for
happiness but yet
not found it
so
what is the reason for this not finding
happiness why we don't find happiness in
our life we are seeking it we are
fighting for it but we don't find it
what is the reason
well the Buddha teaches us
that we are finding or we are seeking
this happiness from a source that the
happiness does not exist
because we are seeking happiness from
external world
we are seeking happiness from this
materialistic things
well when you seek happiness from
materialistic things or external world
you get pleasure
but that is not happiness
pleasure is something temporary and it
gives you this instant gratification
but in happiness
the happiness is long-lasting
and it gives you this happiness or the
contentment about yourself
so that is why Buddha teaches us that
you are finding the happiness from a
source where the happiness does not
exist so the more you find it the more
you become frustrated
so will we ever be able to find
happiness in our life
the Buddha answered this question he
says yes
you can find happiness in your life
how to do that
if you look closely to the first and the
second verses of dharmapada Buddha says
if one with an impure mind speaks of
Acts the suffering will fellows him
like a cartwheel following the ox
if with an impure mind one speaks or
acts the suffering will follow him
and in the next verse Buddha says if
with an pure mind if with a pure mind
one speaks or Acts
the happiness will follow him like a
shadow following a man
so that means
the happiness and the sadness entirely
depends on the Purity and the impurity
of our mind when our mind is pale we can
find the happiness
so
how can we find or how can we gain this
Purity in our mind in order to find the
happiness well do the teachers ask there
are a lot of things that you can do to
make your mind appear
so today I'm going to share with you few
things that can give you the happiness
in your life that you can find the
happiness in your life
fasting
accepting the reality of life will give
you the happiness
you know life is full of ups and downs
you sometimes you have good days
sometimes we have bad days sometimes we
have beautiful memories sometimes we
also have miserable memories
so life is not something that is going
equally every day
Sometimes good sometimes bad when you
realize this reality
you can face these situations
successfully
right it is not always this bad
experience makes us frustrated
it is our reaction towards this bad
experience makes us frustrated
whenever you get a bad experience or a
bad day or a bad situation tough
situation difficult situation
you have two choices
either you can focus on the pain and
feel miserable about that situation
or you can focus on the lesson that bad
situation teaches us
and learn from it and start growing your
life
[Music]
so if you accept the reality of life it
is not temporary sometimes the people
around us are not in our control we
cannot control their reactions
we cannot control their opinions
so when you realize these situations
you can face those situations
successfully that is one thing accepting
reality of the life
number two
Buddha said be generous
practicing generosity is a major
practice in Buddhism
well in Buddhism the generous city is
known as dhana
in Dana Buddha says that you have to
give without any expectations
we have to give and we have to dedicate
towards others without
expecting anything in return
that is one thing that we have to
practice
most of the time we like to hold on to
things or gather the things towards us
that is what people think when you
gather more when you collect more things
you will get rich and you will gain
happiness
but that does not gives you the
happiness it will give you the pleasure
but it is temporary
so what we have to do for this is be
generous give help others dedicate a
part of your life on behalf of others
when you do that when you become more
generous let's say like this you give
some foods to
uh for a person
I'd say like that
when you see that person is having those
foods and overcoming his and his hunger
and making his life much better you can
be happy by seeing that
when you become happy like that you feel
happy about yourself
right nothing can give you that
happiness like by eating a good food by
dressing a nice dress you cannot gain
that happiness you don't feel happy
about yourself
right after let's say after 100 100 of
years later maybe 10 decades later when
you think about that that incident I
gave this food to this poor person when
you when you remind that you'll feel
happy even then you feel happy that
means happiness is long lasting so
Buddha says be generous help people do
something nice every day for a person
that is one thing we can do
and number three forgiving
forgiving is one of the most important
things that we can do to create
happiness in our life we have to forgive
ourselves also we have to forgive others
too
because forgiving when you forgive it
doesn't mean that you are saying okay to
others mistakes it's okay no you're not
saying like that
when you forgive you make your heart
free
so when you forgive it's not for that
person it is for you
and also we have to forgive for
ourselves
there are so many mistakes that we all
have done in the past if you hold on to
past
and if you make this present moment
miserable that will not give you the
happiness so what do we have to do
whatever the bad thing that we have done
in the past we have to have this ability
to forgive ourselves and start all over
again
we all have that ability
right we all have that privilege to
start our life again and make it a
better one okay so no one is perfect in
this world we all have done mistakes one
thing that we have to do is to forgive
and start doing good things
so these are 50 things that we can do to
create happiness in our life and also
there is one happiness that is called
the ultimate happiness in this world
that the Buddha teaches us that is
called nibana so Nirvana that is The
Enlightenment
when you realize about the reality of
this life and when you remove this
desire all the craving that arises
within your mind then Buddha says that
is the ultimate happiness
simply the nibana means
that means removing of the desire anger
and the delusion of the mind is called
the enlightenment so that is the highest
level of happiness that we all can reach
so when you practice these practices
when you when you engage yourself in
wholesome state that will create you the
happiness in the life so practice these
things and make your life a happier one
number but higher
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)